An unexpected turn
by acexume
Summary: Growing up, their lives were full of adventure, but everyone has to grow up sometime. From being carefree, to worrying about graduating and college, Alphonse Elric and his brother Edward find it hard to accept the life of adulthood. Their lives take an unexpected turn, and they soon find themselves growing up faster than they imagined. My own creation Fanfic!
1. Prologue

I do not own any right to FMA or any of the characters, except the characters I create. This fan fiction DOES NOT follow the Fullmetal Alchemist storyline at all. Bits and pieces may follow some of the story line, but it is not intended to replicate the series at all. This is my own creation in it's own time era. If you don't like it, don't read it. Any hate mail, negative remarks or bullying will not be tolerated, and will not waste my time.

Please enjoy my story! Positive feedback is welcome and encouraged! I love hearing from people c:

Prologue

I could never imagine a world without my mother or Edward. I'm 17 years old and will be a junior in high school next year, while Ed will be moving on as a senior. Our mother homeschools both of us, because of the lack of a father figure, or so she says. I quite enjoy having our mother teach us. Ed and I still have time to go on our adventures with our childhood friend, Winry. We all live in the outskirts of a small town called Resembool, close to a neighboring city that's about 10 miles away. When Ed and I were little, our father left us behind for unknown reasons. To this day, we both share a hatred for him.

Our mother's a kind and gentle soul, so we don't even need a dad. She raised us both by herself since our dad left home. She seems to struggle at times, but always seems optimistic around us. Ed says that he hears her cry at night because of the loss of our father. She says we are the only thing that keeps her alive, and that means a lot to us. We always try to help her out the best we can, and hardly ever argue around her. She always encourages us to keep up with our studies, and to become something great when we grow up. Ed dreams of Alchemy, while my dreams are still unknown. I just want to enjoy being around my mom and Ed, and Winry too.

Although Winry shares a special place in my heart, I know that my brother is secretly in love with her. I can't take that away from him, as much as it pains me. Ed and I are completely different. My mom says that he takes after our father: Energetic, stubborn and immature for his age with a huge chip on his shoulder. While I'm a lot like my mother: Sweet, kind and calm natured. Growing up, I was the one that would cry a lot, while Ed was not afraid of anything. I envied him for that.

Mom tells me that I will find a great woman one day, and make a wonderful husband and family man. While Edward, is destined to be with Winry. She can feel it in her bones.


	2. Chapter 1: Home

It was 5 AM when the alarm went off. Trisha rose from her warm bed and slipped on a pair of plush slippers. She walked down the hallway, and down the stairs to the kitchen, where she fetched herself a warm cup of coffee. She cupped it in her hands and stared out the kitchen window. The sun was beginning to rise above Pinako and Winry's home. She leaned up against the countertop and felt a soft smile form across her lips. After a few moments of watching the sunrise, she walked back upstairs to dress herself for her day. She got dressed in her favorite dress, tied her hair back in a matching bow, and set off towards Edward's room. Since Ed was the hardest to wake, she always started with him first. She opened the door slowly and walked in Edward's messy room.

"Good morning Edward. It's time to get up." She kneeled down next to his bed and rubbed the mass of blankets that encased Ed. She heard a slight groan, and noticed that the blankets tightened up, mainly around his head. She laughed softly and walked over to his bedroom window, and swiftly drew the blinds up, causing the morning sun to shine through. Ed once again moaned even louder, mumbling a few words to his mother.

"Five more minutes, please mom…"

"Edward, I let you sleep in a few minutes extra. Now come on or you'll have to study until dinner time."

"So? I'll take that any day. Besides, this is supposed to be me and Al's day off."

"You mean Al and I's day off? Get up or you will be grounded for a week. Oh, and you need to clean this room. It's unbelievable that you are 18 years old."

There was a pause, and soon Ed shuffled out of his blankets. He threw his feet onto the floor and stood up slowly. He reached up to his mother's forehead, his hair ran a little past his shoulder blades. He rubbed the back of his neck and soon stretched his arms towards the ceiling, letting out a big yawn.

"Alright, I'm up mom. And not everyone can be tidy like Al."

Trisha ignored the tidy remark. "Good. Now, go get yourself something to eat, I need to wake your brother up." Trisha left the room and walked down the hallway towards Alphonse's room. She opened the door and noticed that Al was already sitting up in bed, running his fingers through his short blonde hair.

"Well, you're up already! That was easy!"

"Yeah, you and Ed woke me up." He let out a small laugh and stood up from his bed. He was a foot taller than his older brother, and reached past his mother's head.

"You get taller each and every day, I swear!" Trisha let out a laugh and turned towards the bedroom door. "Get dressed and come downstairs. Even though it's your day off, you still need to get up. You can study for your test later on."

"Alright, be there in a minute, mom."

Trisha made her way down to the kitchen, and noticed that Ed was gnawing on a piece of burnt toast. She shook her head and walked over to him. "So, what do you have planned today, son?"

"Well, Al, Winry and I were going into town to hang out. Maybe go swimming later, who knows."

"Ah, proper English! I love it!" She laughed and noticed that she hit Ed's soft spot.

"No matter what you think, I do pay attention and study, mom."

"I know you do. Both of you boys make me so proud. You two are very smart!"

"Yeah yeah." Ed cut the conversation short as he took a gulp of fresh orange juice. Within moments, Al came running down the stairs dressed in blue jeans and a cerulean blue tshirt. Trisha turned her head and glanced over to Al.

"Get you something to eat! Edward says that you three are going into town and then swimming."

"Yeah, that's the plan!" Al grabbed a couple pieces of toast and poured himself a tall glass of juice. He rushed himself and finished his small breakfast within 5 minutes. Ed stood up from the kitchen table and ran upstairs to get dressed.

"Hey, do you want me to grab your swimming trunks from your room?" Ed shouted down the stairs, waiting for a reply from his younger brother.

"Yeah, that would be awesome. Thanks brother." He finished up his juice and stood up from the table. Trisha stood up and gave her son a tight hug.

"You two are growing up so fast.. it's upsetting, really." She could feel her eyes swelling up with tears. Alphonse felt his heart skip a beat and he immediately wiped the tears from his mother's eyes.

"Please don't cry mom. We'll always be the same kids that you worked so hard to raise. Besides, we aren't all grown up yet!"

"I know. You two enjoy you day."

"We will. What are you planning on doing?"

"Probably go over to Pinako's and have tea. You know, talk about woman things."

"Sounds nice."

"It is. It's always nice to talk to another female! Now, I want you two back by 7. I'm making a special dinner for all of us tonight!" By the time she finished her sentence, Ed was back downstairs, holding two towels and both pairs of swim trunks.

"Come on Al. Winry gets pissy when she has to wait." He walked towards the front door, Al soon following behind.

"You two be careful! And Edward, watch your language!"

"Alright, sorry mom. Have a good day!" The two brothers walked out the door and straight over to Winry's home.

Winry was dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a yellow tanktop. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, with a yellow ribbon to match her outfit. She was sitting on the stone wall that surrounded her home, and jumped down immediately as soon as she saw Ed and Al leave their home. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, acting impatient.

"Where have you two been? We were supposed to meet up 20 minutes ago!" She threw her hands on her hips and began to pout.

"Sorry Win. We were eating, and Al was talking to mom."

"Yeah, it's my fault, really." Al rubbed the back of his neck and blushed softly. Winry smiled and laced her arms through both Ed and Al's arms, forming a chain.

"Alright, since you said it was your fault, Al. I'm not mad. Now, let's go swimming! It's supposed to be really hot this afternoon!"

The three of them sat off towards the river that was behind both of their homes.

~Meanwhile~

Trisha slipped on her favorite sandals and walked over to Pinako's house. She knocked on the door softly, and within moments, Pinako answered.

"Ah, Trisha. Come on in, I've been expecting you."

"Thanks. I would have been here earlier, but Ed was once again reluctant to get out of bed."

"Surprise surprise! " Pinako gestured Trisha over to the dining room table, where she had two cups and a teapot ready for the two. "I have something exciting to tell you!"

"Oh? What is it?" Trisha sat down and watched as Pinako followed. Pinako began to pour both cups full of hot tea, and sat the pot down gracefully. She grabbed ahold of her cup and began to sip it. Trisha could tell that she was in a cheerful mood.

"So, I'm sending Winry off to a private school for her senior year."

"Oh? That sounds wonderful! But what's the occasion?"

"Oh Trisha, it's no secret that I'm getting older. I can't keep homeschooling her for the rest of her life! Besides, she needs to gain social skills and get prepared for college. Not that Alphonse and Edward aren't a good influence to her, I just feel like she needs to be a social butterfly. She always talks big and I feel like this could be a good thing for her."

"Yeah, it's a wonderful thing! She'll do well! Now, I don't know how Ed and Al will take her departure but-"

"You should send them off too!"

"Oh no! I couldn't. I don't think they would be able to adjust as well as Winry could."

"Why not? They are both bright young men. Besides, Edward seems to be ready for a step up in society. Alphonse could excel in his academics! Not that he couldn't with you teaching him but.. Face it, we can only teach them so much."

"I guess you're right. I just hate to see them go off to school. It'll break my heart."

"Well, won't it break your heart more if they don't get into a good college?"

"Yeah. It will. I guess.. it would be best for them."

"It's not like you won't see them ever again. Besides, it's only 30 minutes away. And they would get to see Winry everyday."

Trisha became hesitant. She looked down into her teacup and sighed softly. "I'll do it. When can I sign them up?"

"Well, since today's a Wednesday, I would say by Friday at the latest. Break it to them over dinner, and have them accept it before you do anything drastic."

"Alright." She sighed and looked back to Pinako and felt her heart sink. "I haven't been away from them since they were born. And with their dad gone, I don't know how much more heartbreak I can take. I guess I do need time to myself, and I knew the day of letting them go was coming close."

"It'll be okay, Trisha. I'm always here for you, remember that."

Winry stripped down to her bathing suit, and ran straight towards the river. "Come on you two! I know you guys want to swim!"

Edward froze. Everytime he saw his best friend in a bathing suit, he grew more feelings for her. "She gets more beautiful every time I see her.."

"She does.." Al began to blush and looked back to Ed, noticing the dirty look that was shot in his direction.

"You know I have feelings for her, Al."

"I know you do. And I'm not going to steal her away from you. I just think she's beautiful. And it's true, she is."

"Whatever. Now, let's go get changed." He walked ahead of Alphonse, and back behind a tall tree. He began to change into his boxers, noticing that Al was procrastinating.

"Hey, what's wrong Al?"

"Do you think I'll ever get a girlfriend?"

"Of course you will. Why do you think otherwise?"

"Because I'm too polite and gentle. Winry seems to like the chip on your shoulder. A bad boy like you isn't afraid of anything." He finally began to change into his trunks, and noticed that Ed was trying to hold back laughter.

"Me? A bad boy? Not hardly. Besides, Being polite and gentle are good qualities to have. You don't ever have to worry about getting in trouble with adults!"

"Yeah, if you say so, brother." They soon made their way over to the river, noticing that Winry was splashing around in the currant. Al watched as Ed jumped in after Winry, and watched the two as they began to horse around in the cold water. He sat down on the bank and put his feet in to feel the temperature. He stared down at his reflection, and thought about what Ed had to say to him. Maybe Ed was right, maybe being gentle and polite were good traits. Without thinking, he jumped in and joined Ed and Winry.


	3. Chapter 2: Denial and Acceptance

After a day of swimming and hanging around town, the three friends decided to go home. Winry back to her own house, and Al and Ed back to theirs. When the brothers returned home, they could smell the sweet and savory aroma of their favorite meal: Coconut Curry. Their mother made it for them once a week to reward them for doing well in their studies.

"Welcome home boys! Did you two have a good time with Winry?"

"Yeah! It's too bad that starting Sunday it's supposed to rain for the whole week." Al walked over to the kitchen table to wash his hands. Edward sat down without even scrubbing his hands clean. Trisha looked over at her oldest son and gave him a disapproving glare.

"Edward Elric. You know better."

"Yeah yeah, sorry mom." Ed stood up and walked over to the sink to wash away the dirt from his hands. Al walked into the kitchen and pulled out three bowls, three spoons and drinking glasses. He was always fond of helping his mother set the table, it was something he did for every dinner since he was 4. After making sure everything was right, Al sat down at the table, following his mother and older brother. Edward was the first to ladle his curry into his bowl, Al being second, and Trisha being third. No matter how much the boys urged her to do so, she would never serve herself first.

"So mom, how was your day?" Ed began to dig into his curry, slurping with each spoonful that touched his lips.

"Oh, it was a day. Had tea with Pinako. Talked about some important stuff."

"Oh, like what mom?" Al politely ate his curry, while his brother rushed through his first bowl.

"Well, that's what I need to talk to you both about. There's no easy way to start this conversation, either."

"What is it mom? Did dad come back?!" Edward dropped his spoon into his bowl, and leaned forward into the table.

"No Edward, your father didn't return home."

"Did you find another man?" Al gently sat his spoon down.

"No, not that either. You see, Pinako's sending Winry off to a private high school so she can finish her senior year and go onto college after that. She hasn't told her yet, but I figured I would be the one to break it to you two."

Ed felt his heart sink. Everyone knew that he had a huge crush on Winry, but now that would all change. What if when she was at school, she met another guy and fell in love with him? He couldn't stand to think about it. Suddenly, he lost his appetite. He took a deep breath and gently pushed his curry in front of him. "Well, isn't that wonderful. Now she's going off to some fancy school with a lot of fancy people."

"Mom, is this true?!" Al let out an upsetting screech.

"Oh you two, would you stop. I figured you both would be happy for her! Besides, I haven't even gotten to the best part yet."

"Oh, what could be better than my best friend going off to school.." Edward looked down into his bowl, feeling a little bit of appetite coming back to him.

"You two will be joining her!"

Edward's heart sank. This had to be a nightmare, it just had to be! First he found out that his best friend and love interest would be leaving home, and then was told that he would be joining her! He couldn't even begin to imagine not taking lessons from his mother, and taking them from a complete stranger. He couldn't even fathom wearing a neatly pressed school uniform, joining clubs and having to get along with other students. He had to think of a way to fight back. But before he could say anything, Al opened his mouth.

"Mom! You can't do this to us! What about you?! What will you do?!" He pounded his fist on the small dinner table.

"What do you mean? I'll cook and clean, and have me time every day. Besides, it's not like I'm 4. I'm a grown woman, Al. It's time that you boys leave the nest."

"Mom, Al's right! What if something happens to you and we can't come home! Or what if Pinako dies and leaves you alone?!"

"Edward! Why would you say such things?!"

"It's true mom! Ever since dad left, we knew that we couldn't leave you alone! If we left, we would be no better than him! I won't stand for it. Al and I are not leaving!"

"Oh yes you are! I'm your mother and what I say goes! I raised you boys better than that. I can't continue to teach you for the rest of your lives! Besides, it's high time that you two get into relationships, get married and start a family. We're going tomorrow to sign you boys up."

"This isn't fair!" Edward stood up quickly from his seat and threw his chair down to the ground. He stormed outside, Al soon following him. Trisha took a deep breath and felt tears swelling up in her eyes. 'Do you two think this is easy for me? It's not. I promised myself I would never let you two go..'

"Brother! Wait up!" Al ran quickly to catch up to his older brother. Ed looked back, his face was red with rage.

"Go home. I need to be by myself."

"I can't brother. Besides, I'm upset about this too!"

"Not as upset as I am."

"Oh come on! We both know that you would be better suited out in society! Look at me, I'm as shy as can be.. what if I get picked on?"

"That's the only thing you are worried about?!"

"No not at all. What about mom.. I don't want to leave her alone!"

"I don't either. But apparently we have no choice." Ed sat down on the bank of the river, and stared down into the reflection. It was a few moments until Al joined him.

"Look brother, we're going to be okay. Maybe mom's right. Maybe this will be good for us."

"Maybe good for you. You need to get a girlfriend and get laid." Ed let out a sarcastic laugh and looked over to his brother. He could see that Al wasn't laughing.

"Why would you say that?! I'm not going to school to do _that_ kind of thing!" He blushed and looked back at Ed. "Besides, I'm not that great looking."

"Quit fooling yourself, Al. You look fine. Besides, it's not looks that matter. It's what's in your heart. And you have a good one. We'll both stick together and make it through."

"Yeah, I guess so. I want to make mom proud."

"So do I, Al. So do I."

Ed and Al continued talking about school, and dreading the day that they would have to wear fancy uniforms. As soon as they began to discuss the school life, Winry ran up behind them. Her eyes were filled with tears. Before she could even explain what was going on, Edward decided to call her out.

"So, the old lady's sending you off to school too, eh?"

Winry sat down in between Al and Ed. She wiped her eyes and looked at Ed with a dumbfounded look on her face. "Wh-What are you talking about..?"

"Our mom's sending us off to school, too." Al sighed and laid back onto the grass.

"You've got to be kidding me! Why are they doing this to us?!"

"Maybe it's for our own good, Win." Ed wrapped his arm around Winry and pulled her close to him. "It's okay, we'll stick together."

After an hour of talking together about their new school, Winry went back to her house, and soon Ed and Al went back to theirs. By the time they got inside, they noticed that the dishes were clean, the table was spotless, and the lights were off. "Mom must have went to bed, Al. We should go to bed too." Ed sprinted upstairs, fixing himself to fall asleep. Al stood downstairs and leaned up against the kitchen counter. He stared out the window and up at the full moon. 'Everything will be alright. This is a good thing. Make mom proud.'

~The next morning..~

Trisha's alarm went off at 5:30 AM. She followed her normal morning routine of a cup of coffee, waking her two sons up and joining them for breakfast. Instead of a normal breakfast conversation, Al and Edward kept quiet. Trisha could sense that they were still upset, but decided to shake it from her mind. She soon sent them upstairs to their rooms to change into appropriate attire, and the three of them climbed into their mother's car and drove off to their future school.

From outside of the gate, the buildings stretched tall easily giving a 4 story vibe. The stones were faded, with moss and ferns growing up to blanket it from the elements. There were three buildings that connected each other, the whole school continued on for 2 miles. Edward wasn't amused, but Al couldn't believe his eyes. He gulped and became nervous when he saw how far the building extended. After a 5 minute drive from the entrance, they were in front of the rustic school. Trisha parked the car, and all three of them stepped onto the private property.

"Wow. This place is beautiful, mom!" Alphonse walked in front of her, soon stopping in his own tracks while admiring the architecture of the school. Ed walked by, lightly smacking him on the back.

"Get used to it, because we will be here for a full year."

"A..full year? Mom is this true?" Al went pale, and turned to his mother. Trisha sighed and gave him a soft nod.

"Well, actually you will be living here for 2. You will come home for Christmas and for a short break in the summer."

"But.. where will I sleep?!"

"In a dorm, honey."

Al could feel his heart sink. But he knew he had to be strong for Ed and his mom. The three of them walked into the main building, and straight towards the dean's office. After a few moments of the mandatory meet and greet, Ed and Al walked through the school corridors. With each step, Al's eyes roamed around, making sure to take everything in. After all, Al would be here for 2 years while Ed would be here for only one. He envied Edward for being an older brother. Oh how he wished he could be Ed's age.

"Mrs. Elric, your boys seem like fine gentleman. I would be honored to have them here at this school!" The dean reached her hand towards Trisha, and firmly gave her a welcoming handshake. She looked as if she was in her late 50's, with black hair and fair skin. Although she seemed cheerful during the interview, Trisha knew that if she was provoked, this lady could possibly lose her mind. Which was great for a school dean, of course. Trisha smiled brightly and shook her hand for a few moments, rambling on about how thankful she was, and that her boys meant the world to her.

"Now, I must go over some rules and financial stuff with you. First off, since you are a single mother, you qualify for half tuition for each of your sons. The tuition needs to be paid in full before your boys graduate."

"Yes Ma'am." She didn't worry. Her parents left behind plenty of money to take care of her and the boys for the rest of their lives. The only thing she worried about was-

"Ah yes, the rules." The dean slid a pamphlet in front of Trisha. "To cover the basic rules, your boys will be staying in a dorm room together. There's a bathroom with a shower, toilet and one sink. They will be responsible for keeping it clean. They will have two single beds and two night stands. There will be a study area, which I hope that they will take advantage of. Meals will be given to them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and they are advised to show up for all of them. If they miss a meal, they cannot make it up. Three uniforms will be assigned to both of them, and they will be fully responsible for having them cleaned, pressed and well maintained. Uniforms are to be worn when on school property and in classes. They are allowed to wear casual clothing in their dorms and outside of the school. When wearing their uniforms, undershirts must be tucked in, a belt must be worn at all times, buttons must be buttoned up and ties must be tied tightly. Any modification to any uniform will result in detention, suspension and even expulsion. "

"Understood ma'am." Trisha felt uneasy about the rules, but knew that every school had them. She wasn't so worried about Alphonse, but about Edward. She knew that he wasn't the tidiest child, and the most obedient, but was hoping that he would respect the rules and abide by them. "What about laundry?"

"Ah, yes. The machines on campus are free for use, but everyone must bring their own soap. There are 10 washers and 10 dryers in each dorm hall. They are also equipped with irons and ironing boards. To go on, as in most schools, fights will not be allowed. First fight depending on how severe it is, will result in a warning. So on and so forth. I know that there will be disagreements from time to time, but we try to teach everyone to have respect. The girls' dorm rooms and the boys' dorm rooms are in separate ends of the building, and we will not allow slumber parties of the opposite sex. There are clubs your sons can sign up for, but they are not mandatory. And last but not least, their grades must remain at an appropriate level. That covers the basics, but there are much more to know about in the pamphlet I have provided you with. Move in dates are next Friday, they will receive their dorm rooms and uniforms, and have to attend a new student orientation on the following Sunday. Any questions for you?"

"None. Thank you so much for giving my sons this wonderful opportunity! I promise they will not let you down!" Trisha gave a slight bow to the dean and walked out of her office. She walked outside and noticed that Ed and Al were already in the car waiting for her. She got in the driver's seat and began to drive home.

"So.. what do you think guys?"

"It's too fancy." Ed scoffed and stared out the window.

"I think it's neat! Although, I'm still really nervous." Alphonse looked up at his mom and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Good. I know you boys will enjoy your time there. By the way, the dean seems very nice, but strict. She gave me a pamphlet of rules to go over with you both."

"Aw, seriously mom? Are the rules stupid?" Ed whipped his head around and stared up at his mother through the rear view mirror.

"Well, some of them seem kind of harsh, but they will be sure to make you two proper gentleman, that's for sure."

"Well, doesn't mean I have to follow them." He turned his head and stared back out the window.

"Oh yes you will. I'm going to be spending too much money on this school, and if you get kicked out, you will have to find your own place to live."

"Don't worry mom. Ed and I will do great in school."

"Thank you honey, but I'm not worried in the slightest. Besides, I know you two will make your mother proud."


	4. Chapter 3: Until we meet again

For Edward and Alphonse, the week seemed to zip by. There wasn't much time to pack their belongings and enjoy their home before they had to move into a strange school. Trisha went over the rules with them both. Al seemed somewhat okay with it, while Ed was dreading the move in. It was Thursday night, 9:00 PM. Alphonse was sitting in his room, going through pictures that he kept stashed away in an old shoe box. He picked out a few pictures that he felt were necessary to hang up near his bed. He pretty much had everything packed, except his new school supplies which his mother bought for them both. He was about to pack everything into his messenger bag when Ed walked through the door. He walked straight over to Al's bed and threw himself down upon it.

"This is stupid. I don't want to leave home." Ed stared up at the ceiling and began to pop his knuckles

"Well, there's nothing we can do to turn back. Besides, you might really enjoy yourself, who knows?"

"The only thing that will make me somewhat happy is being able to see Winry every day. The thought of her being alone with a bunch of horny high school guys gives me the creeps."

"Well then, maybe you should ask her out." Al closed the shoebox back up and turned to face towards his older brother. Ed took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"I was planning on it. I'm going to sneak out around midnight, Winry's going to do the same thing. I got her this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slender rectangle box and opened it up to reveal a gold necklace with a heart shaped pendant at the end, equipped with 10 small diamonds around the base. Al snatched the box from him and stared at it closely.

"Brother, this is beautiful! But how could you afford this?" He closed the box and handed it back to Edward.

"I've been saving up my allowance for quite some time. I had a feeling that there would be a time I would have to ask her to be mine. So, why not do it in style?" He slid the box back into his pocket and stood up. Al stared down at the ground. It must be nice to afford nice things and have someone you really care about.

"Anyway, I still don't know how I'm going to break it to her. I'm kind of nervous, you know?"

"Wow, you? I never thought I would hear that coming from your mouth." Al began to laugh and stood up to face his older brother. In a way, Edward was jealous of Al, but mostly because of his height.

"Yes, me. People won't believe that I'm your older brother. You're getting so tall." Ed threw a playful punch towards Al's right shoulder, and saw him jerk back before he could touch him. He turned around and walked out the door. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow's the first day of a very miserable two years for you." He left the room without hesitation. Al took a deep breath, and looked out the window. "I really hope it's not going to be miserable."

"Relax Al. It's going to be okay. I'm going to pack so I guess I'll catch you later." Ed walked out of Al's room and straight to his own, beginning on his short pack job.

Later that night, Edward snuck downstairs and out the front door. To his knowledge, his mother and younger brother were asleep. He still felt the need to be extra quiet. If his mother knew he was up this late, she'd have a fit. He walked towards the river, his hand in his pocket while gripping onto the box tightly. He noticed that Winry was already sitting by the river, her feet in the water. Ed snuck up behind her, and embraced her with a tight hug, causing Winry to jump.

"Edward Elric! Don't ever do that again, you know how scared I get!" Winry shoved him lightly and watched as his face lit up.

"Oh come on, Win. You know I like to tease you every now and again." He took a seat next to her and looked up at the sky. "It's clear tonight."

"Yeah, It's almost like it was meant to be this way. Ed, I'm really scared about moving away."

"Don't be. You'll have me and Al there with you."

"I know that. But what if no one likes me. What if I don't make any friends while I'm there?"

"Win, you're such a beautiful person. People would be crazy not to like you! You're very smart and caring. Besides, we're only going to be there for a year. After that, we'll be free until college!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She sighed and laid back to stare up at the sky. Edward felt his stomach flipping, and knew that now was a better time than ever. He took a deep breath and took Winry's hand.

"Hey, can I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, what is it Ed?" She sat up and stared her friend in the eyes.

"Look, it's no secret that.. well, that I like you. Winry, I've been head over heels for you since we were children. So with that, will you be my girlfriend?" He pulled out the slender box and opened it up. He saw her face light up as she snatched the box from his hand. She began to cry and gave him a slight nod. She threw her arms around him and nearly tackled him to the ground.

"Edward, of course I will! I've had the same feelings for you for awhile.. and grandma told me that I should wait to see if you felt the same. There were many times where I felt you would never ask, and that I would be alone for a very long time. To be honest, I didn't want to be with anyone else!"

"I'm glad you feel the same way. Here, let me put your necklace on you." He took the box from her hands and carefully unhooked the necklace and removed it from the box. He laced it behind her hair and around her neck, snapping it securely. She grasped the pendant in her soft hands and stared down at it.

"It's beautiful Ed."

"Not as beautiful as you."

"Oh stop it. I've never seen this side of you before, it's strange."

Ed laughed and pulled her close to him. "Yeah, well.. I'm still the same Ed. I promise." He cupped her chin in his hand and pulled her close for their first kiss. He laid her back and continued the kiss until they both pulled away.

"It's so strange, but I love it. My best friend, is now my boyfriend."

"I feel the same way. But it's meant to be. My mother always told me that we would end up together, and she's right."

"Really? Because grandma told me the same thing!"

"Ironic, huh?" Ed chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. There was nothing else that mattered but what was going on right then and there. He could care less that he was moving away from home. He felt a lot better knowing that Winry was his. He swore that he would never let anything happen between them. After awhile, Ed walked her home, and soon made his way back inside of his house and straight upstairs. The first thing he thought of was sharing his happiness with Al. He walked in Al's bedroom and walked over to his bed.

"Al, wake up!"

"Huh, what is it?!" Al shot up from his bed and looked around. When he figured that nothing was happening, he laid back down and pulled the covers over his head. "Ed, it's 1 in the morning.. I'm trying to sleep."

"Al, she said yes! Her and I are officially dating now!"

"That's great brother. Now please let me sleep. We can talk more about it tomorrow."

Ed took the hint and walked back to his own room. He laid down in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't bother to change his clothes or brush his teeth. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened. His whole mindset about moving away didn't even phase him anymore.

~* The next morning… *~

Trisha found it hard to wake up. She couldn't believe that her babies were moving away from home. Finally after the third alarm, she hit the power button and stood up out of her warm bed. She shuffled to Edward's room first. She knocked on the door but didn't bother to walk in his room. "Edward, it's time to get up please." She moved to Al's room next, but to her surprise, he was already up and dressed.

"Morning mom. How did you sleep?"

"Oh, I slept okay. Come downstairs and get some breakfast, okay? We need to leave in 30 minutes."

"Alright mom, I'll see you down there."

Trisha walked out of Al's room and went straight down to the kitchen to fetch herself a cup of coffee. She stared out the window, like she did every morning, but today felt different. She was happy, but depressed at the same time. She knew she had to let them go sometime. Before long, Al made his way downstairs, with Edward trailing behind him.

"Alright boys, get yourself some breakfast."

"I'm not hungry, mom." Edward sat down at the table and let out a big yawn.

"Edward you need to eat. Even if it's something small." Trisha sat down a piece of toast and a glass of milk. Alphonse was already digging into his small meal.

"Alright, fine." Ed picked up the piece of toast and took a small bite. He sat down the slice and smiled up at his mom. "Better?"

"A little. Now finish it up, we need to leave in a few."

"Well, I'm already done. I'll go get my bags." Alphonse ran upstairs to gather his things. Ed soon followed, the piece of toast gripped in between his teeth.

The drive to their new school was surprisingly short, seeing that they weren't even paying attention outside. Trisha was too busy talking to them about school, dorm life and..girls. Al seemed to have paid attention to the conversation, but Ed was clearly daydreaming, only by answering "Yes" and "No" to his mother's answers. As soon as they arrived, Ed and Al saw the school grounds come to life with students spread all over the place. Some were talking, some were sitting and reading, while others were hugging and greeting their fellow students again. As soon as Trisha stopped the car, Alphonse began to grow sick.

"Alright boys, out of the car! It's time to find your dorm and get you settled in!"

"Mom, I'm feeling sick. Maybe I shouldn't move in here." Al gripped his bags tightly and took a deep breath.

"Nonsense, Al. It's already been decided. You both can come home for the weekend every once in awhile, nothing's going to change!"

"Come on Al, remember what we talked about last night? You can do this. I know it sucks leaving home, but you'll get used to it." Al walked ahead of him and lead the three of them into the main building's office. The dean was standing in front of one of the secretary's desk, sparking up a conversation. She turned around as soon as she heard the door shut, and walked up to Trisha and the boys.

"Welcome gentleman! I see we are ready to get settled in!"

"Yeah, you could say that." Ed shook the dean's hand and shot her a fake smile.

"Perfect! Let me get you boys your uniforms and your dorm key. You need to change right away so you don't stick out too much." The dean led them into her office, where she handed Al and Ed each a bag with their uniforms in each. She handed Trisha the key and gestured them out of the office. "There are restrooms around the corner so you can change, and your dorm is in the left building on the second floor. Room 237 is yours! Enjoy yourself boys, and I will see you at orientation! Trisha, we'll take good care of them, don't you worry!"

"Thanks a lot, we really appreciate it! Alright you two, you heard the lady.. go get changed!"

"Alright alright. Come on Al, let's go." Edward walked around the left corner and down to the restrooms. Once inside, they knew that this was not going to be an ordinary school. There was a couch inside of the bathroom lobby, and carpet that sat underneath it. Through the other door was the men's restroom that looked like an ordinary restroom, except it had extravagant wallpaper and fancy light fixtures.

"Jesus, this place is ritzy." He dug through the bag and took out a medium uniform and a small uniform. He sighed and handed the medium uniform off to his younger brother. He noticed that Alphonse snickered a bit, and decided to ignore it for later payback. "Come on, hurry up and get dressed."

To Ed's surprise, it actually fit him perfectly, and didn't need to be hemmed. Alphonse's uniform was the same, except his was a little loose in the waist. It was a good thing the uniform came with a belt, or Alphonse would have to tie a rope around his waist. As soon as they were done getting dressed, they walked out of the stalls and showed off their new uniform. The uniform was a pair of navy blue dress pants with a matching navy blue blazer jacket, and a white button up undershirt. The blazer had the school's crest on the left side slightly below the collar bone. Their other uniforms for casual days were a pair of khakis and a navy blue sweatshirt.

"Brother, I feel funny in this uniform.." Al tugged at his sleeves and looked over to Edward, who was doing the same thing.

"I know Al. But this is to make mom happy, so let's just deal with it."

Edward walked out of the bathroom lounge with Al trailing along behind him. Instantly, Trisha let out an excited squeal and looked her boys over.

"Oh yes, these uniforms look dashing on you both! "

"Thanks mom. But the sleeves are itchy." Alphonse rolled up his blazer sleeves and unbuttoned the cuffs on his undershirt. His mother laughed and shook her head.

"You boys never really liked wearing long sleeved shirts, but they will feel better after time. Your father would be so proud of you boys.."

"Yeah, well.. we don't want to see him so.." Ed turned his head, feeling rage build up in his chest.

"Brother, don't say that. Anyways, I bet he would be, mom. I just hope he still remembers us.."

"Of course he does. Now, let's head up to your room. I need to leave soon so you both can get acquainted with your new classmates." She led the way, Ed and Alphonse reluctantly followed behind her. They walked up 3 flights of stairs, and stopped at the top.

"Hmm. Room 230 – 240.." Trisha looked to her right and began to slowly walk down the hallway, while looking back and forth at each room number. As soon as she saw their room, she came to a sudden halt, causing Edward to almost run into her. "Aha, found it! Now, let's take a look inside.." She took out two gold keys from her purse and handed one key to Alphonse, while using Edward's key to enter their room. Inside was an average sized room with two desks, one bathroom equipped with a shower/tub, two closets and a bunk bed. Without hesitation, Edward nudged his mother aside and climbed on top of his newly claimed possession.

"Top bunk's mine, Al!"

"Good. You'll be able to sit up in bed with no problem." Alphonse held back a snicker, while Ed shot him an evil look.

"You just wait, I'll get you back for that short comment."

"Come on boys, try to get along, please?" Trisha sighed and opened up one of the closets, noticing plenty of space for hanging their clothes, plus a shelf above to place any belongings. "Promise me that you will keep your room tidy.." She sat Edward's room key on his desk, feeling a slight sting in her heart.

"We will, Mom. I'll force Ed to get into the habit." Al laid down onto his bed, noticing the fragrant smell of fresh linens.

"Easy for you to say, Al." Ed climbed down and walked into the bathroom. He shut the door and locked it behind him. Trisha walked over to the window and gazed out while trying to hold back her emotions. She looked over at Al and shot a weak smile towards him.

"The view is beautiful. Promise me that you boys will study hard.."

"We will, mom. Don't worry we'll stick together."

"I trust you both." She took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of Alphonse's bed. "Oh, and when you two have girls over, please think before you…. You know."

"Jeez mom, we won't! Besides, we will most likely be too busy to have girlfriends."

"Well, Edward has Winry. That leaves you."

"Mom, trust me. Having a girlfriend is not my main priority. It's not even a priority right now."

"Alright, I believe you."

Edward walked out of the bathroom and stretched his arms towards the ceiling. "I'm already comfortable with this place! So far, so good."

Trisha stood up and faced towards her oldest son. "Good, I'm glad you are starting to see things my way. Alright boys, time for goodbyes.." She felt her eyes swell with tears, but managed to fight them back. Alphonse stood up and was the first to hug her. He embraced her tight and felt that her returning embrace was very weak.

"Mom, I love you. Everything will be okay. Besides, we will come home and visit. Just promise that you will come visit and bring your famous stew!"

"I promise." She kissed his forehead and loosened her hug. Edward was next. He could tell that his mother was fighting hard. He sighed and hugged her tight, and gave her a similar reassuring message.

"I love you Mom. Al's right, we will come home and visit. We will make you proud."

"Thank you, boys. You better hurry up and go to your orientation. It starts in 30 minutes."

"We will. Take care, and please be safe driving home.." Alphonse felt his stomach drop as he realized that this was not a dream. They were really leaving their mom behind.

"I will. See you boys later." She walked towards the door, and walked out without turning back. By this time, tears were flowing out of her eyes in thick streams, soaking her neck. She wiped her eyes and walked down the flight of stairs and back to the family car. 'I love you boys.. take care and make me proud.'


	5. Chapter 4: We finally left the nest

Al and Ed adjusted to their new room almost instantly. It wasn't exactly "home", but they both knew that they had to make do until they graduated. Edward was lucky enough to be a senior, while Al still had two years to endure. 10 minutes had passed since their mother left the school, and they both decided that it was time to make their way to the auditorium for student orientation. Alphonse of course, made the first move.

"Brother, I think we should get going." Al stood up from his bed and stretched his arms to the ceiling. He brushed his shirt to remove any small wrinkles so he would look presentable, while Ed climbed down from his bed and left his clothes the way they were. Al found this to be quite annoying, but decided not to say anything.

"So..where is the auditorium?" Ed opened the door and was the first one out, Al following behind him. Al locked the door and slid the golden key into his pocket and glanced over to Ed.

"It's down the hall from the office. I saw a sign pointing to it."

"Oh, Mr. Obvious! I'm glad I have you for certain things." Edward let out a sarcastic laugh and led Alphonse down the flight of stairs. As soon as they reached the main level, they followed the signs that were painted on the walls. "Jeez, this place really IS fancy. Aha, I think I see where we go in." He pointed to a group of students who were walking in big double doors. He ran to catch up with them, and Al trailed behind him.

Inside, the Auditorium was filled with chatter of students conversing with others. Some were laughing, while others were serious. Ed began to walk down one of the rows, while looking back and forth to find seats for him and his brother. Finally, he spotted two seats in a middle row. "Al, I found some seats!" He rushed his way to the middle, claiming the seats he had his eyes set on. Al joined him, and noticed that there was a student sitting next to him that was writing in a small black journal. The boy had light brown hair, and seemed to be an inch taller than Edward.

Moments after Al and Edward made themselves comfortable, the lights were dimmed and the dean was seen walking across the stage to a microphone in the middle. The auditorium grew to soft whispers and then sudden silence as she began to speak.

"Welcome students, to another year of classes! For those of you who are joining us for the first year, I would like to welcome you all to Saitama Academy! I am the owner and Dean of this fine school, so if any of you see me around the hall, feel free to speak up and call me Mrs. Saitama! Alright, now to get down to business. For those of you who are joining us, there are quite a few rules to follow while you are attending here. Those will be delivered to each and every one of you at your dorm mailbox . Should you have any questions, ask a teacher or myself. The top three rules of this school are: Always wear a clean uniform, Show up to every class unless you are ill, and no physical confrontation. This means if you are caught fighting, your first offense will be suspension, and your next will be expulsion from this academy."

Alphonse leaned over to his brother and whispered in his ear. "Yeah brother, please try to keep your cool, okay?" Al nudged Ed and watched his brother begin to squirm in his seat.

"Shut up, Al. I'm not that violent."

"Alright everyone, now for the fun part of this orientation! Turn to the person next to you and introduce yourself. Get acquainted because you might find yourself your new best friend. I'll be back in a moment to explain some more guidelines!" Dean Saitama walked behind the curtains and the auditorium began to grow loud with chatter.

Al turned to his right and began to converse with the kid next to him. Ed turned to his left and noticed a girl with crimson red hair, reading a book. She looked up to notice that he was looking at her, and she quickly closed her book.

"I'm so sorry, I was just so wrapped up in this book!"

"No worries. I'm Edward Elric, but I go by Ed. What's your name?"

"It's nice to meet you, Ed. My name is Kanako."

"That's a nice name. So, Kanako, what were you reading there?"

"Oh, an advanced anatomy book." She blushed softly and looked down at it. "I want to go to college to become a doctor. I'm just so fascinated by the human body, so I read all the time."

"That's pretty cool, I don't exactly know what I want to be, myself."

"Oh, it will come to you sometime. I found out what I wanted to be when I was 10. I just love caring for people. It's very rewarding!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean by that. So, what grade are you in?"

"I'm a 2nd year student. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm a 3rd year, and my brother that's next to me is a 2nd year. Say, explain something to me.. Why didn't we have to take entrance exams to be in this school? Almost every school has them but why not this one?"

"Oh, well Dean Saitama doesn't believe in entrance exams. There's a story about it. To sum it up, she wanted to go to the same high school as her best friend and lover, but ended up not being accepted because her scores were one away from what they had to be. This made her very angry so when she inherited this school from her father, she changed the system and made it to where students just had to apply to get in. If she thought you were a good fit, she would accept you. Which, I haven't heard of anyone getting turned down. She believes in everyone unless they prove her wrong. She's a great lady."

"Wow, she seems like it! So, are you new here? I take it you're not."

"No. I've been here since last year. I enjoy it a lot, and I know you and your brother will too!"

As soon as Kanako was done speaking, Dean Saitama began to speak once more, causing the auditorium to come to a dead silence. Kanako opened her book once more, and buried her nose within it. Al nudged his brother and whispered in his ear. "So, how was your conversation?"

"It was a conversation. It was very nice to have one with a student who's been here before."

"Really? The guy I talked to said he isn't new, either. So I guess we just got lucky when we picked our seats?"

"Yeah, you could say that. Tell me more about everything after the orientation, okay? We can grab some food and talk everything over."

"Sounds good, brother."

"Food will always be provided in the cafeteria, but you are more than welcome to leave the school grounds to pick you up something to eat. Your lunch breaks are 1 hour, and your breakfast breaks are 30 minutes before classes start. Which leads me to my next topic! Classes are Monday-Friday 8:00 AM to 2:45 PM and certain holidays will be given as resting points. There will be 3 midterm exams and 3 final exams, so do your best! These will decide your fate!"

Edward gripped onto his seat's arm rests. 'Great. Tests. The one thing I'm not good at is required to pass.'

"One last thing, you are allowed to leave the campus after school hours and on weekends. Don't ever skip class to go somewhere unless you have permission to do so. No rough housing in the halls, and please be sure to get plenty of rest! This concludes the new year orientation! Enjoy the next two days and be ready for class! And new students, I will see you Sunday for the new student orientation!" The dean walked away from the microphone and walked backstage. The lights brightened and loud commotion filled the auditorium once again. Ed and Al stood up and began to walk back to the isle so they could leave campus for lunch.

" Great, we have another orientation on Sunday. Why couldn't she just combine the two?" Ed rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at his brother.

"I have no idea. I was thinking the same thing."

Alright, Al. Where to?"

"I don't mind, brother. I'm not that hungry. Let's go explore the school and find the cafeteria, I'll sit with you while you eat. Did mom give you any money?"

"Yeah, she gave me enough to last me for the next two weeks. How about you?"

"Same. So let's try to save our money as much as possible. It's hard telling when we will see mom again. So, who did you become acquainted with?"

"Oh, some girl that's the same year as you. Her name is Kanako. She seems to be a nerd, but not in a bad way. She seems pretty cool. So, who was the guy that you were talking to?"

"Oh, his name is Rin. He seems pretty cool, he's also in my class so I can see us being pretty good buddies. We talked about music and literature.."

"Oh, so.. two things that you like but aren't very familiar with." Ed began to snicker and saw that Alphonse was blushing deeply.

"H-hey! I listen to music..and I've read quite a few books in my time so hush!"

"Chill, Al. It was just a joke. I wonder how Winry's doing.. I haven't seen her at all today."

"Well, why don't we go to the office later and find out what room she's in? We can say that she's our cousin or something."

"And if anyone finds out that we are dating.. they will be completely grossed out. So no, that excuse is out of the question. I'll just tell them that I have something for her and that I need to return it."

"Yeah, I guess you could do that." Al began to walk down the hall, Edward trailing behind him, trying to think of a clever excuse to get Winry's dorm number. He sighed and shook his head, while muttering softly to himself. As soon as Al stepped outside, he noticed that a lot of the students were outside, conversing with each other. He turned around and looked at Ed, who seemed to be shocked with the amount of people.

"Well, I was going to suggest that we find Winry, but I guess that's out of the question. Come on, let's go eat." Edward walked in front of Al and led him back into the school. Before they could even make their way inside, someone called after them. To their surprise, it was Winry. She ran up behind them sporting her school uniform, and wearing the necklace Ed gave to her.

"I've been calling for you guys! What are you up to?" She brushed her bangs away from her eyes and smiled at both of them.

"Well, we were going to look for you but there are so many people here.. so we were going to get your dorm room number later and come visit you. We're going to get some food.. wanna join us?"

"Of course I would! By the way, you two look awesome in your uniforms!"

"Oh, thanks. I'm still trying to get used to it." Edward tugged at his sleeves and stretched his arms up. Winry let out a small laugh and reached up to grab one of his hands. She laced her fingers with his, and looked back at Al.

"So, how are you liking this place so far, Al?"

"Oh, it's okay I guess. I've already became acquainted with someone. He seems like a nice guy. But other than that, we haven't really had time to scope the place out."

"I know, the school's huge! I've made a couple of friends so far. I don't have a roommate so the three of us will have to hang out all the time, okay?"

"Not a problem. It will be like old times." Ed squeezed her hand and smiled. When he noticed that she was wearing her necklace, he felt ecstatic, like he was on top of the world. Al glanced over and noticed that Ed was blushing. He had never seen his brother so cheerful. Although he was happy for Edward, he felt emptiness in his heart. He had feelings for Winry since they were kids, but knew that they could never be together. It was a good thing he gave her up, or he would never see his brother like this.

After a few minutes of searching, Al noticed two large doors that had a big wooden sign above it. It had CAFETERIA carved deeply within it, giving him the hint. "Hey, guys.. I found the cafeteria!" Al opened one of the doors and held it open for his brother and Winry. To their surprise, the cafeteria was filled up with students.

"Awesome, and here we were about to pass it! There sure are a lot of students in this school.." Winry unlaced her fingers from Ed's hand and walked in ahead of them. Alphonse stopped Ed, a smirk appeared across his lips.

"You looked pretty happy back there, brother."

"Well, yeah! I am! Why, did I look stupid or something?"

"You looked like you were daydreaming."

"Yeah. I kinda was. Come on, I'm starving. We'll have to take our trays and eat in the hall or something." Edward walked ahead of Al and caught up with Winry. He took her hand and escorted her up to the lunch line. Alphonse began to follow the two, but he heard his name being called out from behind him. He whipped his body around and saw that his new acquaintance was running up behind him.

"Hey Rin, what's going on?"

"Nothing much, I just so happen to see you walk in, so I thought I would come up and see if you wanted to hang out for a bit."

"Sure, sounds awesome. I'm gonna go let my brother know that I'm not going to be joining him."

"Alright. I'll be right here."

Alphonse walked up to the lunch line where Ed and Winry were standing. He noticed that they were both enjoying each other's company, so he decided to make it quick.

"Hey, brother?"

"Yeah, what's up Alphonse."

"I'm going to hang out with Rin. This will give you more time to hang out with Winry, okay?"

"I thought you were going to eat with us?"

"Nah, I'll grab something later. I need to make friends since I don't have a girlfriend. So, ill meet you back in the room later on, alright?"

"Alright. Enjoy yourself, okay?"

"Will do." Alphonse ran back to Rin and the two of them walked out of the cafeteria and down the hall. He was excited that he had a friend to hang out with, but nervous about the start of school. He took a deep breath and shoved everything behind him. 'Enjoy yourself while you can, Alphonse.'


	6. Chapter 5: It begins

Rin turned towards Alphonse and grinned brightly. "So, who was that girl your brother was with? She's pretty hot."

"Oh, that's Winry. That's Edward's girlfriend."

"Damn, she's taken." He let out a soft chuckle and shrugged. "Oh well, there's still plenty of cute girls here. So, do you have a girlfriend Al?"

"No. Ed and I were homeschooled and so was Winry. All three of us have been childhood friends since we were born. So, we never really met any other kids."

"That sucks man. Well, you'll find someone. Just make sure you study really hard. This school is tough."

"Really? How tough.."

"Well, the classes are average difficulty, but the rules are insane. They give you a new set of rules with each class."

"That's crazy."

"Yeah, but everything has rules, if you think about it. So, do you know your way around school, yet?"

"No. I'm kind of worried about it."

"Nonsense. It's simple once you get the hang of it. They're handing out maps and class sign-up sheets in everyone's mailbox as we speak. Everyone is responsible for filling out what classes they want to take by tomorrow by noon, or they give you a pre-set schedule. Of course, the basic classes are already pre-set, like English, Algebra, History, etc."

"Ah. Well, I'm excited to see all the classes they offer. So, what classes are you going to take?"

"Well, I've been in the school orchestra since I was in middle school, So I'm definitely going to be taking my band classes again."

"What instrument do you play?"

"Oh, I play a few. Violin, viola, harp and cello."

"That's incredible! I never knew someone could play so many instruments."

"It's simple if you study and you set your heart towards an instrument. It takes a lot of patience and dedication. My mom and dad are both music teachers at different middle schools, but ever since I was really little I knew I wanted to play an instrument. It started out with Violin when I was 6, and my parents taught me the basics. I started taking music classes in middle school and I fell in love with it. I'm a stringed instrument maniac. But, I really love writing and reading. I want to go to college to be a journalist."

"That's awesome! I wish I could play an instrument."

"You can, you just have to have patience, and really want to play one. What exactly do you want to go to college for?"

"I don't know just yet."

"You'll find out soon enough. Just enjoy your high school years. Oh, here's the music room where I practice! We can't go in because they're practicing right now." He stopped and peered through the window. Alphonse joined him.

"Wait, why aren't you in there?"

"I didn't feel like practicing right this moment. Besides, there's only 6 students in there, and all of them are girls."

"Ah, so why are we peering?"

"Because they are cute, dude. Enjoy the view."

Alphonse sighed and shook his head. He looked back into the room and watched as the students were preparing to practice. He noticed one girl in particular, sitting in the middle of the circle of students.

"So, why is she in the middle?"

"Oh, because she's the best student there. She's number 2 in the whole orchestra, soon to be number one. Her name is Kanako."

"Kanako.. where have I heard that name before?"

"Probably from someone else admiring her. She's gorgeous and extremely smart. Oh, and there's Rosalind, the instructor's daughter. She's so awesome, I want to ask her out so bad! But I know I'll be rejected. Oh man I want a girlfriend so bad.."

"Then why don't you ask her out?"

"I think she has a boyfriend."

"Well, why don't you ask her anyways?"

"I'm not the one to just go up and ask a girl before I find out if she's with someone or not. I've had my fair shares of disappointments, and I don't want to make things awkward between us. Besides, she's a good friend of mine. I figure that if I can't ever be her boyfriend, I'd much rather have her as a good friend."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Smart thinking."

"Thanks. It comes to you once something happens to you a couple of times. I have girls that want to be with me, but I have no interest in them.. So, at least I know I'm good looking. Anyways, we should really move on and tour more of the school." Rin pushed his hands against the wall and shoved himself backwards. He began to walk down the hall and gestured his left hand towards Alphonse. As soon as he caught on, he ran to catch up with his new friend.

"So, what else is there to know?"

"Well, there's a circle of classrooms down the hall to our right and that's the basic classes. Math, English, History and Health. Down this hall are the more "fun" classes. Introduction to Alchemy along with Intermediate and Advanced Alchemy, Anatomy, Engineering, Journalism, Chemistry.. the list goes on. It's a pretty big space. Of course, there are intermediate and advanced versions of all the classes I've mentioned, but they are upstairs. Oh, and if you take a left from the cafeteria, you'll reach the gym area. It's pretty big."

"That's a lot of information to take in. I really appreciate it. So, you said there's a gym.. do we have to take classes there?"

"Yeah, at least 2 terms of Physical Education is required to graduate. This school runs in semesters, so every 3 months there's a new set of classes to take."

"That's odd, but I guess that's how it goes. So, where's your dorm room? I forgot to ask you.."

"Oh, it's 226. I'm rooming by myself. My brother graduated last year, so I get the whole dorm to myself. It's pretty awesome, really!"

"That's awesome, you're right down the hall from me and Edward!"

"That's convenient. You and I could study together if needed. By the way, that's the end of the tour. Everyone thinks this is a big school, but really it's not. It only looks big because of the dorms."

"That's a relief, I guess.. Well, I'm gonna head back to my dorm and fill out my class schedule. You're welcome to come and hang out if you want."

"Sounds tempting, but I'm going back to the music room and watch the girls practice."

"Suit yourself." Alphonse let out a chuckle and watched as Rin ran back down the hall. He shook his head and began to walk forward down the hall, noticing that there were signs pointing to the main entrance. He followed these for almost 5 minutes, and finally came face to face with the dorm entrance. 'He's such a liar. This place is huge.'

~*Meanwhile*~

After Winry and Ed were finished eating, they snuck up to her dorm room. Most of the students were walking around outside or in the school halls, so there wasn't much to worry about.

"Alright, just one more flight of steps and we'll be on my floor!"

"Cool." Ed's heart began to race. He was heading up to Winry's room! The only times him and Winry were ever alone was usually to walk through the woods or to sit by the river and talk. They only started dating yesterday, and have only kissed once. What if things got heated? Although he wouldn't mind, he knew she wasn't ready for such things. He was in such deep thought that he didn't even notice Winry leading him straight up to her dorm room.

"Alright, here we are, Ed! Are you ready to see my room?"

"Yeah, sure Win."

She unlocked her door and stepped inside. "Well, come on in, Ed!"

Edward slowly walked in her room. He noticed that her dorm was very similar to his and Alphonse's dorm room, except there was only one bed and the bathroom was smaller. "Wow, this is a lot smaller than Al and I's dorm, but it's nice."

"Thanks, I haven't had much time to decorate it. I've hung up one picture, of course. It's on my wall next to my bed."

Edward moved closer to her bed to examine the photograph. He climbed on her bed and began to laugh. "This picture is all of us, but only when we were really little! Man, it sure seems like it was yesterday."

"Yeah, I wish we were still young. That's the only good picture I have of us. Grandma gave me her old camera, so I would love to take more."

"That big ol' thing? I guess we can all come up here and take a picture together."

"I really want one of just you and I."

"Oh, well that can be arranged." He felt Winry wrap her arms around his neck. She pulled herself close to him while resting her chin on his shoulder. His heart began to beat abnormally fast.

"Edward.."

"Y-yeah, what's up?"

"I can't help myself.." She nibbled on his ear lobe and noticed that he became stiff. She pulled away and turned him around to face her. She noticed that his face was deep red.

"Sorry, Win.."

Winry let out a small laugh and leaned in for a kiss. "No need to apologize.." She kissed him deeply, and noticed that he began to relax. He laid her down and began to kiss her neck.

"E-Edward!" She let out a soft moan and felt her wrists being pinned to the plush comforter below her.

"I'll teach you to tease me, Winry." He bit her ear lobe and noticed that she was squirming around.

"Ed, I-I'm not ready for this.."

"Ready for what..?"

"I'm not ready to have sex just yet.. I'm scared."

Edward sat up and stared down at his girlfriend. She noticed that she had a soft blush across the bridge of her nose. "Winry, I wasn't suggesting that we do anything.."

"I know, I just feel like things were getting heated. I'm so sorry Edward I'm not trying to be a downer."

"Never." He pulled Winry up and into a tight embrace. "I'll wait for you, just like you would wait for me. I should be the one that's sorry. I didn't mean to force myself on you like that."

"Well, it was kind of hot."

"It was? Well I guess we'll have to keep this in mind for later." He chuckled and kissed her softly. "I'm just so happy that I'm with you."

"Me too, Ed. Me too."

As soon as Alphonse made his way up to their dorm room, he checked the small mailbox outside of their door. Rin was right, there was a map and a schedule for both of them. Al brought all of the papers inside, and sat down at his desk.

"Alright, time to fill this out.. Name: Alphonse Elric. Date: August 15th, 1917. Year: 2nd.. Well, that part is done.. Now to choose my classes. I have to choose two fun classes, but which ones should I choose.." He stared down at the sign-up sheet for quite some time before beginning to make his decision. "I guess I'll try out Introduction to Alchemy and Anatomy. I hope they aren't going to be too tough." He signed his name and laid his sheet aside. He glanced at the clock and noticed that it was 7:00. "Jeez, I must have hung out with Rin for awhile. Today flew by, which means tomorrow Is going to fly by too." Alphonse laid his head on the desk and sighed. "I want to go home already.. I miss mom." He heard the door open and turned his head to notice Edward walking through the door. He sat up and smiled at his brother.

"Hey brother, did you have fun with Winry?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Alphonse turned his chair around and noticed that Edward was climbing up into his bed. The tension was pretty high, so he decided to break the ice and ask what was going on.

"So.. did something happen between you two?"

"Yeah, kinda. She took me up to her dorm and I was so nervous that something was going to happen, that when we started to kiss I guess I got kind of rough.."

"Whoa, you don't mean that you actually had sex with her?!"

"No Al, I didn't. Relax, we aren't going to do anything like that for awhile."

"Oh.. so I take it that's why you're upset."

"Don't get me wrong, I don't really mind having sex with Winry, but I don't feel like we should be doing it this soon in our relationship. I guess I kind of freaked her out, and I feel bad about it."

"Well, did you explain yourself.."

"Duh. I don't want her feeling uncomfortable around me, Al. I want our relationship to last, and if she doesn't feel comfortable with something, I'll see to it that I stop before I mess things up."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Ed. Oh, I don't mean to cut this conversation short, but they delivered our schedule sheets and our school maps. You have to fill the schedule sheet out and have it back in the mailbox by noon tomorrow."

"That's just great. I don't even know what I want to take just yet." He climbed down from his bunk and walked over to the desk where Al was seated. He grabbed his blank schedule sheet from beside Al and began to study it. "So, we are required to take a math, English, history and health class?"

"Yeah, those are required. I'm taking Introduction to Alchemy and Anatomy."

"Wow, Alchemy classes! I'm definitely going to sign up for the Introductory class.. And Anatomy? Really."

"Yeah, why not? I mean I don't see anything else I'm interested in, so I figured I would try it out."

"Alright then, suit yourself. I just can see you getting squeamish over body parts."

"Haha, very funny. What other class do you think you will take?"

"Chemistry seems like it could be fun. It might help me in my Alchemy class, so why not." He placed a mark next to both Introduction to Alchemy and Chemistry, and began to write his information down at the top of the sheet. "So, now what.."

"We place them back in the mailbox."

"No, I meant now what are we going to do."

"Hang out, get some rest and prepare for class on Monday."

"Great." Edward laid his sheet next to Alphonse and climbed up to his bunk. "I'm going to bed, all this excitement has made me exhausted."

"But brother, it's only 7:00.."

"So what? I'm tired. So I'm going to bed."

"Alright brother, suit yourself. I'm going to explore the school some more." He got up from his seat and picked up both of their schedules. "I'll go ahead and put our schedule sheets in the mailbox."

"Thanks, Al."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll be back later." He left the room and placed both sheets into the mailbox. "I wonder if anyone is still walking around. Maybe I'll make some new friends." He started to walk down the stairs and made his way to the main hallway. He walked in front of the music room and stopped. "I wonder if Rin is still in the music room.." He decided to sneak a peek, and pressed his hands against the glass. He noticed that Rin was in the music room, and that he was sitting with the girl he noticed from earlier. The door was open slightly, and he could hear their conversation perfectly.

"So Kanako. I know the concert is next week, but do you think that you will get first chair? I mean, voting hasn't happened yet, but I think you could possibly get it."

"I hope so. I haven't had much motivation, lately. Shuichi and I were on vacation until the last week of vacation, and even then I didn't have time to practice."

"Really? Damn. My parents made me practice every day. So, I hate to bring this up but I know you and Rosalind are good friends.. does she have a boyfriend?"

"No. She doesn't. But she's not looking for one right at this moment, I know that for sure. Her parents are pressuring her to do well this year, or they are going to pull her from the school and make her go to a public high school. I know how much you like her, but I'd stay clear of asking her just yet, okay?"

"Oh, I see. Thanks for being honest with me."

Alphonse sunk down underneath the window and sighed. 'Poor guy. I bet he's heartbroken.' He stared down at the ground and thought about how it felt to be rejected. He asked Winry out when he was 12, and was rejected instantly.

"_Alphonse, you're a nice guy.. but I love Edward. He's the one for me, I just know it. So, I can't be with you.. I'm sorry."_

Alphonse stood up and shook his head. 'I can't believe that's still in my mind. I wish it would leave.'

"Alphonse? Why are you here?"

Alphonse jumped and looked up to noticed that Rin was standing in front of him with a puzzled look on his face. He stood up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, I was just roaming the halls and I came across the music room and noticed you were in-"

"You heard everything, didn't you."

Alphonse nodded and saw that Rin was hanging his head. "I'm sorry I wasn't trying to eavesdrop."

"Don't be sorry. It just sucks that I found out the truth. I'm going back to my dorm, I'll catch you later, okay?"

"Alright. Feel better." He watched as Rin walked his way towards the staircase and disappear. He turned to walk down the hall towards the cafeteria, when he bumped into someone. He became startled and shook his head. "I'm so sorry I wasn't watching where I was going." He looked up and noticed a tall, burgundy haired teenager, with an annoyed look on his face.

"Yeah, you didn't. You should watch yourself." He put his hands on Alphonse and shoved him aside, while walking away from him. Alphonse stumbled but shook it off, staring back at the kid.

'What's his problem..'

"Oh, and by the way, stop spying on Kanako. You have no business with her."

'What is he talking about? I was just checking up on Rin. That must be her boyfriend. He's the jealous type, that's for sure.' He rubbed his shoulder and waited a few moments until the hostile teen was out of site. He made his way back up the stairs towards the dorms, and back up to his room. He opened the door slowly, and locked it behind him. He walked over to his bags and took out a t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants. 'A lot has happened today.. I'm just going to ignore it all and relax. Don't take things so personal, Alphonse…'


	7. Chapter 6: First day of school

August 18th, 1917

_I thought it would be appropriate to start writing journal entries to keep up with my sanity, so here I am. It's 6:01 AM, Monday August the 18__th__, 1917. My classes start today, which officially makes me a 2__nd__ year student. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to rise and shine. I'm a complete nervous wreck, but Edward's the complete opposite. He slept like a baby all night, and he's still in his dream world. Both Saturday and Sunday passed by way too quickly, giving me no time to prepare myself for a busy year of classes. New student orientation was nothing special, just this or that chatter. Of course, I haven't met anyone else, so I'll be starting the year off with one friend. I guess that's better than nothing, right?_

_Speaking of friends, Rin and I had a chance to hang out yesterday after his music practice. We had a chance to talk, and I had a chance to explain why I was in the wrong place at the wrong time on Friday night. He seemed to understand my situation, but I can't help but feel bad. After all, he got rejected. He made a vow that he would not crush over any girls for a while. Although I know he won't make it a week, I decided to support him like a good friend. I know he would do the same for me. Time to get ready for a nerve-wracking day._

_Until next time, journal._

_Alphonse Elric._

Alphonse closed his journal and stood up from his cozy seat. He stretched his arms to the ceiling, while glancing over at his sleeping brother. He knew it was going to be a pain in the butt to wake Edward up, so he decided to start early. It was now 6:30 AM, and the two of them had to be dressed and down at breakfast by 7:30. He stood up on his bed and nudged Ed's blanket-wrapped body.

"Brother, it's time to get up."

Edward tossed in his bed and let out a loud moan. "No mom, 5 more minutes.."

Alphonse held back laughter and nudged him again. This time Ed shot up and threw the blankets off of his head. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at Alphonse. He sighed and rubbed his blond locks. "What Alphonse, I'm trying to sleep.."

"Brother, it's time to get up and get ready. We have to be in the lunch room in an hour for breakfast."

"So what, I don't need breakfast."

"Yes you do, it's the first day of school! Come on please get up, you promised Winry that you would meet up with her!"

Ed was quiet for a moment and then threw the blankets off of his body. "Fine, I'll get up." He climbed down the bunk stairs and staggered himself to the bathroom. Alphonse shrugged and shook his head.

"That was easy. Alright, time to get dressed. I'm starving." He walked over to the closet and opened it slowly. He hesitantly took a hanger with a school jacket, undershirt and pants and looked at it closely making sure there were no wrinkles to be seen. After examining his uniform clearly, he laid them on his bed and began to undress.

Edward walked out of the bathroom and straight over to the closet. Without looking, he took out his uniform, and dressed himself within a minute. "Alright, I'm done. Let's go meet Winry."

"Just a second, brother. I'm still getting dressed." He slipped on his pants and undershirt, and then threw his school jacket over, making sure to properly button it up. "You need something to write with." He walked over to his desk and picked up two pens, tossing one of them to Edward.

"Thank you, mother." Edward said sarcastically, making sure to let a small snicker escape his lips.

"Haha, very funny. Without me, you would forget to attach your head." Alphonse turned off the desk lamp, picked up both his and Ed's class schedules and walked towards the door. "Your hair is a mess."

"Yeah yeah, I'll fix it on the way. I can braid my hair without looking in a mirror, which is a perk." Edward walked ahead of his brother and quickly made his way down the first flight of stairs. "So, you nervous about today?"

"No. Are you?"

"You're such a liar, Alphonse. I know you better than anyone else. I know you're nervous because of the way you are acting. Come on, there's nothing to be ashamed about."

"Alright, fine. I am nervous."

"I knew it." Edward ran his fingers through his shoulder length blonde hair and began to braid it tightly. He slipped a hair tie from his wrist and tied the end of the braid tightly. His timing was impeccable, because by the time he finished with his hair, they were already on the last flight of stairs.

"Hey brother, look. There's Winry! She's at the bottom of the stairs!"

Edward ran down the stairs quickly to meet up with Winry. She stood up and greeted both brothers with a smile.

"Good morning, you two! So Al, how difficult was it to wake Ed up this morning?"

"Actually, it wasn't that bad. He thought I was mom, though." Alphonse began to laugh and turned towards his brother. "Mom please, 5 more minutes!"

"Alright, shut up. Fun's over. Let's go grab some food." He took Winry's hand, but felt resistance from her. He turned back to notice that she was pulling him back towards her.

"Alphonse, go on ahead and save us a spot in line. I need to speak with Winry."

"Alright." Alphonse walked ahead and into the lunch room. There wasn't many students in the cafeteria just yet, so he decided to sit at a table until Edward and Winry were done conversing with each other.

"Winry? Why did you stop?"

"Because Edward, you're jacket collar is messed up. I don't want you to get embarrassed." She began to fix his collar straight, and noticed that he was blushing lightly.

"Too late." He gently grabbed her hands and pulled them down to her sides. "There's something else that you stopped me for. What is it?"

"Oh, I just wanted to talk to you about Friday night. I know that things got a little heated but-"

"Win, I already told you, it's okay. You weren't ready, and I'm not offended. I don't want to rush you, okay?"

"I know that, but.."

"But what? What's wrong?"

"I love you, Edward. And I feel ready for you. I'm just scared."

Edward smiled and shook his head. "I know, and I love you too Winry. Look, don't think so much about it. Please just concentrate in your classes, okay? There will be a time where we can be intimate, but now is not the right time, and I respect that. Besides, I enjoy being with you, even if it's for 5 minutes a day."

Winry hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest. "Oh Ed, that's so sweet of you to say all of that. Alright, when the time is right, we will know it."

"We will. Now come on, Al's waiting for us, and I'm starving!" He gently pushed her away from the hug and grabbed onto her hand, leading her into the lunch room. Alphonse watched them walk in and stood up from the table, and walked up to the lunch line.

"Took you two long enough."

"Yeah yeah, let's just get some breakfast, okay? We don't have that much time until our classes start. So Winry, what class do you have first?"

"Anatomy first, then English, then Algebra 2, History, Health and Introduction to engineering."

"Wow, Engineering? That's kind of hot. And awesome. Yeah, that's really awesome."

"Hey, we have Anatomy together, Winry!" Alphonse grabbed his tray and walked over to the cash register, with Winry and Edward trailing behind him.

"That's awesome, we will have to sit together! By the way, what are your classes, Alphonse?"

"Anatomy, Introduction to Alchemy, English, Algebra, Health and History."

"Hey Alphonse, we have Alchemy together, how lucky." Edward looked down at his schedule and began to study it. "This sucks. I have Health with you Winry, but that's not until the end of the day. And Al, I only have one class with you, so I guess I won't get to see you until nights."

"That's okay brother, at least both of you are in one of my classes. I wonder if Rin's in any of my classes.." He walked over and sat down at an empty table.

"Well, why don't you find him?" Edward sat across from his brother, and Winry sat next to Edward.

The three of them began to eat and talk amongst themselves. Alphonse scarfed down his breakfast and stood up, clutching his fists tightly. "Alright, I'm going to go get a good seat in class. Winry, I'll try to save you one, okay?"

"Why? You still have 20 minutes left.." Edward chugged his juice and looked up at his brother, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, well I want to make sure I find the classroom in time.. and I want to get a good seat for Winry and I."

"Alright, sounds good Al. I'll be there in a little bit. I want to enjoy my last few free moments alone with Edward."

"Alright. Brother, I'll see you in Alchemy."

"Yeah, see you there. Try to relax, okay? Everything will be fine."

"Sure, later." Alphonse walked out of the cafeteria and down the hall to the left. He gazed at his map and glanced at each classroom door. He turned right, then left, then stopped to study his map carefully.

"It's got to be around here somewhere.."

"Hey, are you lost?"

Alphonse turned around to see Rin standing behind him with a smirk on his face. Alphonse sighed and clutched onto his map. "You scared me, Rin."

"Yeah, I could tell. So what room are you looking for?"

"Anatomy."

"Ah, I'll show you the way. Your class is right next to mine. You were almost there!" He led Alphonse down the long hallway and pointed to the last door on the right. "That's Anatomy. Say, what is your schedule?"

"Anatomy, Introduction to Alchemy, English, Algebra, Health and History"

"Hey, you and I have English, Algebra and Health together!"

"That's a relief. I was afraid I was going to be the odd one out in my class."

"Nah, a lot of people are friendly here. You'll meet more friends. Well, I'm going to let you go here, we'll catch up later and hang out after school, okay?"

"Sure thing, later." Al watched as Rin walked down the hall and into the classroom next to his. He took a deep breath and walked down the hallway to his Anatomy class. He opened the door and walked in, noticing big black oval tables that were high off the ground. There were 5 tables in all, and each table had 4 chairs. He walked over to the middle table, and pulled out a chair. Before sitting himself down, he looked around and noticed that the room was covered in posters of human bodies, vital organs and cell structures. There was a fake skeleton by the blackboard, and a jar with a deer fetus inside on the teacher's desk. He took a deep breath and gulped. Just as he made himself comfortable, students began walking in and choosing their seats.

'I wonder when Winry's going to show up. This is so awkward.' He looked down at his class schedule and began to doodle, hoping that it would pass time. It wasn't long until Winry walked over to Al, and sat next to him.

"Hey you! Wow, this classroom is so.. weird."

"Yeah, the tables are awesome though."

"That they are. So, how are you and Ed getting along?"

"Ah, well we're getting along fine. We promised mom that we would try to be civil."

"That's good, I'm proud of you both. So, are you nervous about this class?"

"Not really, why would I be."

"We're going to dissect things, and see dead bodies!"

"Dissect..?!"

"Yeah, that was part of the class description. Come on Al, it won't be that bad!"

"If you say so. I hate seeing dead things."

"Oh, also we get to see naked bodies." Winry let out a short laugh and noticed that Alphonse was blushing a deep crimson across his cheeks. With that comment, two other people sat down at their table. There was a girl with crimson hair, and another girl with blonde hair. They were both too busy conversing with themselves to even notice Al and Winry.

"Al, you okay? I'm sorry if I hit a sensitive spot."

"No, you didn't. Just nervous about this class, that's all.."

Within a few moments, each table was filled with students, and the room became booming with conversation. The classroom door opened up and a tall man with dirty blonde hair and round glasses walked into the classroom. Everyone stopped talking and examined the man as he wrote his name on the chalk board. He turned around to face everyone and gave an enthusiastic smile.

"Good morning everyone, My name is Mr. Shou Tucker, and I am your new Anatomy teacher."


	8. Chapter 7: A social butterfly?

Alphonse studied the teacher closely, listening to every word that escaped from his mouth. He seemed stern, but intelligent. He knew that he had to do his best, only to get on Mr. Tucker's good side. The first thing he did was go through the roll call, which Al had a slight lesson on who was in class with him. After his name was called, Winry nudged him in the arm and passed him a small folded up note, which read:

_I can already tell this is going to be boring. But hey, you're sitting next to some really pretty girls, so go nab yourself one! I'll talk to you more after class, okay?_

He carefully opened and studied before he folded it back up and placed it in his pocket. He shook his head and felt a weak blush form across his face. He turned to Winry and mouthed the word "NO." in her direction. She pouted and focused her eyes back up at Mr. Tucker.

"Alright class, I find it appropriate if I assign each of you into a group so you can get to know different people and discuss the first chapter: Introduction to Anatomy. Since there are 17 students in class, I will assign 5 groups of three and one group of two. Any questions?"

The room was silent. It was obvious that everyone wanted to get the social awkwardness over with and go back to learning about the human body. Shao took a list out from his briefcase and began to examine each student's name. He began to call up students and began sorting them into groups.

"Winry, you know I'm socially awkward, what do I do?!"

"Just relax, Al. You're going to have to face it sometime. Besides, it's just for a little bit, okay?"

"But I don't want to do it now! I'm nervous as it is!"

"Group 4: Alphonse Elric, Winry Rockbell, Kanako Okayama." Shao looked up, ready to greet the new group. Alphonse nervously stood up, and walked to the front of the class. Winry followed, but the other group member wasn't budging. Mr. Tucker cleared his throat and shouted the group once more, waiting for Kanako to stand up and join the group.

"KANAKO OKAYAMA."

"Yes? Oh, sorry sir!" The girl that was recently sitting by Alphonse slammed her book shut and shuffled to the front while the class began to snicker behind her back. She was 5'4, Skinny but not emaciated, had radiant crimson hair that swept down to the middle of her back. Her skin was as if it was pure porcelain, with aqua eyes that could light up the entire room. She stood behind Winry and listened as the laughing subsided. Mr Tucker sighed and stared down at his sheet again, and glanced over at the new group. "It's alright since it was the Anatomy book that you were sucked into. You may sit down at your table you three."

'Kanako.. where have I heard that name? She seems familiar, although I've never met her in my life.' Alphonse pulled out his chair and sat back down, noticing a smirk appear across Winry's face. He could tell she wanted to say something, but she kept the comment to herself. Kanako sat by Alphonse, and buried her now red face back into her anatomy book. The girl beside her nudged her and began to snicker. The girl's name was called moments later for her group. A few moments passed by and Mr. Tucker wrote the group names on the blackboard behind him.

"Get used to these groups class, because you will be meeting with your group once a week to discuss chapters before exams. Now, turn and converse with yourselves. I'll give you 10 minutes to do so." He sat down in his chair and pulled out a red pen, marking the roster quickly and thoroughly.

Winry was the first to turn her chair and introduce herself to Kanako. "Hello, my name is Winry Rockbell! It's a pleasure to meet you, Kanako!"

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine. Sorry if I embarrassed you both with my little episode back there, I was just so wrapped up in this book!"

"Oh, you didn't embarrass us! It's okay to be wrapped up in something, especially Anatomy! It will come in handy for you."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Oh, this is my friend Alphonse Elric! We've been childhood friends since we were both little. I'm dating his older brother."

"Winry, she doesn't need to know that!" Alphonse hissed at Winry, but she didn't seem to notice.

"That's so awesome that you two already know each other! I was nervous about meeting new people, because I can be socially awkward at times. It's not a good trait, I know."

"Not at all! Al here is the same way!"

"Winry, stop!" He playfully nudged her and began to blush deeply. "I'll interject here. I'm Alphonse Elric. Everything Winry tells you is officially untrue at this point."

Kanako began to laugh. She shook her head and held up her right hand, gesturing him to stop. "It's alright, really. My brother would do the same with me. So, where are you two from?"

"Risembool. Born and raised!"

"I'm not quite sure where that is..The name sounds familiar, however!"

"It's about 20 minutes away from here. Pardon me for a few moments, I need to use the lady's room. Alphonse, make sure to introduce yourself more thoroughly!"

"Yeah, alright. Just hurry up, I don't want you to miss Mr. Tucker's lecture."

"Oh, alright dad." Winry began to laugh and walked away from the table. Al sighed and turned to Kanako, shaking his head softly.

"I swear, she's out to get me."

"Oh, I don't think so. She seems like a very nice friend."

"Yeah, I guess you can say that. So, I feel like I know you from somewhere. Are you in any extracurricular activities?" He grasped his hands together, feeling a little less socially awkward. He felt happy that he was becoming acquainted with new people, even though Winry made a complete fool of him. That's two friends so far, maybe private school wasn't going to be that bad.

"Yeah, one. I'm a violinist."

"Aha! That's where I've seen you before. You know my friend, Rin."

"If it's the Rin I'm thinking of.. then yes! I do know him! We've been playing in the same orchestra for a year now. He's an awesome violinist."

"Yeah, that's him alright. I haven't heard him play, but I believe you. He told me that he plays other instruments too."

"Yeah, he does. He's talented, that's for sure. So, do you do anything outside of your studies?"

"No, not really. I hang out with Winry and my brother Edward everyday, so I guess you could count that as an activity."

"Yeah, it's kind of considered one. So, Is this your first year?"

"Yeah, in public school that is. Edward, Winry and I have been homeschooled since we were 5."

"That's awesome! I was homeschooled from age 13-16 because of my violin lessons. It left me very shy. I'm glad that the teachers here do group projects so I can open up. It's no fun feeling awkward."

"I know how you feel. So you said.. every teacher does this?!"

"Well, from what I've experienced, yes. Why, is there something wrong with that?"

"No. Not at all." He felt his heart skip a beat and whipped his head around to stare at the clock. 'Winry, you did this on purpose, didn't you?!'

"Winry's been gone a long time. I hope she's okay."

"Yeah, she is. She did this so I could open up to new people and not feel tense."

"Well, that's a good thing. I think you're a pretty cool kid so far."

"Gee, thanks. I appreciate that." He formed a small smile across his lips and watched as Kanako did the same.

"It won't be long until you have new friends here. You have Rin, and consider me a new friend, okay?"

"Sure thing. So, who was that girl that you were sitting next to?"

"Oh, that's my best friend. She likes to tease me about stupid stuff. She's like the social butterfly of this school, and always teases me because I'm shy and stuff."

"That's not very nice of her to do that."

"Eh, I'm used to it. She's a very sweet girl, believe me! I don't get offended by her comments at all, I just wish I was socially awesome like her."

As soon as Kanako finished spilling her heart out, Mr. Tucker stood up from his desk. Before he could speak, Winry ran in and sat back down next to Al.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you." He whispered to Winry, watching her as she shook her head and smile.

"I did no such thing."

"Alright class, I hope you had a chance to get acquainted with your new group members. I've changed my mind about the assignment. I want each of you to reach chapter one by yourself and we shall later discuss it with each other. Now, start reading."

The classroom was filled with the sound of books opening and pages turning. Alphonse opened up his book to the first page of the chapter and began reading it to himself. 'This won't be so bad. At least I have friends to talk to, now. I wonder how brother's doing in his classes.'

It felt like Alphonse was reading an entire book instead of one chapter. He periodically looked up at the clock to notice the minutes passing by at a slow rate. He sighed and stared back down at his book, and soon was interrupted by the sound of the school bell.

"Alright, class is dismissed. If you are not done reading, I suggest you finish by tonight, because we will be discussing this chapter first thing tomorrow. Everyone will participate. Have a nice day, students."

Everyone stood up at once and rushed towards the door. Alphonse gathered his things and stared down at Winry. "You and I need to talk, now."

"See you both later!" Kanako snatched her books in her arms and ran out of the classroom. Winry watched as she faded away in the distance and looked up at Alphonse.

"Make it quick, I'm meeting Edward!"

"Did you do that on purpose so I would get out of my awkward phase?"

"I don't know why you think that. But, did you at least communicate?"

"Yeah, I had no choice. I didn't want to be an asshole."

"Aaaaand?"

"And what? She's nice, and told me to consider her as a friend from now on."

"Yay! Good job, Alphonse! You made another friend!"

"Shut it, Win. You did too."

"Yeah, but it wasn't hard for me to open up! You have the rest of the day to make some new acquaintances, okay? I only did it for your own good!" She rushed out the door, and Al felt himself becoming angry.

"Although she was trying to look out for me, that really pisses me off. Now I'm on my own. Maybe she's right, maybe I do need to make more friends." He hesitated for a few moments, and then walked out of the classroom. He stared down at his school map and began searching for his new class.


	9. Chapter 8: Trouble

Alphonse definitely had luck on his side for the whole day. He managed to get through 4 of his classes, and ended up meeting a couple new friends thanks to Rin. Two other guys named Hiroshan and Shiro and one girl which happened to be Rin's biggest crush, Rosalind. He knew he met her before, because she was sitting next to Kanako in Anatomy. Everything felt like deja-vu so far, but maybe that was because Rin pointed out Kanako and Rosalind to him the night before.

Introduction to Alchemy was probably his favorite class so far, because he got to spend time with his brother. And no one else could make him feel more comfortable than Ed could. Besides, he knew that both of them would get straight A's in that class, no problem. Algebra and English were boring, but he knew he had to focus in order to make his mother proud. The lunch bell rang, signaling Rin and Alphonse to conclude their conversation and get ready for their next class: Health.

"So, are you ready to go? We want to get good seats, preferably in the back so we can keep it cool."

"Yeah, I guess so. But in the back? We need to concentrate don't we?"

"Health is a super easy class, man. Or that's what I've heard. Besides, how bad could it be?"

"Bad." Alphonse stood up and picked up his tray, slowly taking his time returning it to the dish room. Rin caught up with him and studied as Alphonse fumbled his tray onto the dish conveyor.

"Are you okay? You seem kind of, tense.."

"Yeah, aren't you?"

"No. Why would I be..?"

"It's health, dude. It's such an embarrassing topic. We'll have to learn about sex and stuff."

"Yeah, that's my kind of topic."

"Aren't you still a virgin..?"

"Yeah, Why?"

Alphonse sighed and shook his head. "No reason."

"Relax, it isn't that bad. And that's part of the reason why we are sitting in the back, so no one can stare at us if we become embarrassed."

"I don't see how that will help the situation, but alright. Lead the way."

Rin led Alphonse to the health room, and quickly made his way inside, picking out two seats in the very back. They were not alone, however, because there was a group of three guys sitting to the left of them. Alphonse recognized one of the guys instantly. It was that kid that was threatening him to leave Kanako alone. The other guys he was accompanied by didn't seem as intimidating as he was, but he knew that they weren't to be fooled with.

"Hey, what's with those guys to the left of us? Why are they staring me down like a piece of meat? And why does the red headed boy look like he's about to kill me?"

"Oh, that's Shuichi and his buds. They look tough and all, but they really aren't. All bark and no bite."

"Yeah, I know who Shuichi is. Last night, he caught me talking to you and after you left, he told me not to spy on Kanako, because I had no business with her."

"Yeah, that sounds like Shuichi. That's Kanako's twin brother. He's very protective over her."

"That explains it. But I wasn't spying on her. It doesn't make any sense."

"Trust me, that's just the way he is. He said the same stuff to me when I began practicing with Kanako after school. He finally backed off because he found out I was after Rosalind and not his sister. You two are friends and she has the right to be friends with whoever she wants to. He's just being a good big brother, that's all."

"Yeah, I can understand that. Edward acts the same way sometimes."

"Speaking of, Kanako just walked in. And there's Rosalind! Oh man, does my hair look alright?!"

"What are you, a chick all of a sudden? Chill out you look fine."

"I am not a chick, I just want to look good for Rosalind, that's all."

"Alright, whatever you say. Hey, who's that girl that walked in with them? The one with the brown hair?"

"Hmm.. Oh, that's Yuna. Isn't she gorgeous?"

"Yeah, she really is."

"Aha, someone's already got a crush on a girl!"

"Stop, I don't even know her."

"Well then why don't you introduce yourself?"

"No, that's alright I'll just pay attention in class and get good grades."

"Jeez, you're no fun."

Alphonse began to look around the classroom. There weren't many students, and class was about to start. He happened to glance over at Shuichi, and noticed that he was giving him the evil eye. He could feel it pierce the back of his chest, and focused his head straight forward.

"You okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Look, here comes our teacher." He gripped onto his desk and watched as the tall, blonde haired lady walked across the classroom. She looked as if she was in her late 20's, her hair long and curly. She took a piece of chalk and began to write her name on the chalk board. She turned around to show her name.

"Good afternoon, class. My name is Miss Komori, and I am your Health instructor. Before I pass out a syllabus and your books, I need to take roll call." She sat down at her desk and slid a piece of paper in front of herself and began studying names. She didn't take any time at all calling people out and checking their names.

"Alphonse Elric, Kanako and Shuichi Daido?"

"Here." Alphonse slid down into his seat and raised his hand quickly. He could feel that eyes were starting to set on him, which made his nerves build up. He heard Shuichi and Kanako call out to the teacher, and soon a moment of silence as she began checking their names off.

"Hey, Shuichi really doesn't like you, man. He's staring you down like you just fucked his sister."

"Shut up, Rin. I'm aware. But I didn't even do anything to her! Just ignore him, he'll stop sometime." Alphonse face grew dark red and he slid deeper into his desk. Within moments, she was done with role call, and began passing out books along with syllabuses to every student. She made her way to the back and saw that Alphonse was blushing deeply. She placed the book on his desk and smiled down at him.

"Oh don't worry young man, this class isn't that hard! We'll be talking a lot about the reproductive system and how your body works, so don't get embarrassed okay?" She walked back up to the front of the classroom, and just as she sat down, Shuichi and his buddies began to howl with laughter.

"What an ass, getting all worked up about health class! He's totally a virgin, guys! He doesn't know anything about sex!" Shuichi turned to one of his friends and slapped him a high five, and turned around as soon as he noticed that no one else was laughing along with his group.

"Are you boys done? Because we need to start going over class rules and course schedules."

"Yes Miss Komori, sorry." Shuichi bit onto his right knuckle and began to hold back as much laughter as he possibly could. It was clear to Alphonse that he was very immature for his age, and that he would have problems with him in the future.

"Alright class, today we are going over the rules and the syllabus, so it's a pretty easy class for now. Tomorrow we will start off with mental illnesses and get it over with. Any questions?"

No one raised their hands.

Alphonse stared down at his book and instantly felt his stomach flip over and over. His mother never really taught Ed or himself about major health issues and just taught them how to take care of their bodies. He was doomed. Period. He wouldn't be able to make it out of the classroom without stuttering while reading aloud or blushing deep. Maybe he was the one that was immature, and not Shuichi.

"Alright class, open your books to page 5. This is an introductory chapter, and needs to be read aloud. Let's see.. Kanako, you read the first two paragraphs; Yuna, you read the next two; And… Rin, you read the last four."

Alphonse let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God I don't have to."

"Ugh, lucky you.. I hate reading aloud!"

The class fell silent, and Kanako began to speed through her part without missing a beat. As soon as she finished, Yuna took over, and then Rin. It felt like hours went by before everyone was released for their last class of the day. For Alphonse, it was History. Boring and dull, Alphonse wasn't looking forward to learning about the past. He wasn't with anyone he knew, so he sat in the front and kept his face buried in his history book until the bell released them from the small prison.

As soon as the bell rang, Alphonse was the first one to run out the door. The time was 4:55 PM, and all Alphonse wanted to do was get back to his dorm and relax. He weaved in and out of the busy hallway, and towards the dorms. He was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Hey, Alphonse! How was your first day?" Al turned around and noticed that it was Kanako who was talking to him. She walked up with a bright smile, and a handful of books. Not nearly as much as what Alphonse was already holding.

"Oh, it was alright. Hey, you need help carrying those?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice, thank you! I'm just going back to my dorm and study."

"Am I allowed to help you back to your dorm? I don't want people to get the wrong idea or anything."

"Oh, don't be silly. It's not like you are coming into my dorm and hanging out, you're just helping me with my books!" She began to lead him to the girls dorm hallway.

"Ah, alright then. So, how was your first day?"

"Busy and exciting! I'm so excited about anatomy, I feel like I'm going to learn a lot for college!"

"Yeah, it seems like it's going to be fun."

"What do you think about our teacher?"

"He's.. different. I can tell he isn't going to go easy on us."

"That's for sure. But, think of it this way. If teachers made it easy on us, then how would we learn?"

"This is true. Wow, this hallway is pretty long, where's your dorm at, exactly?"

"Just right at the end of this hallway. Room 45."

"Wow, you got lucky! Mine's up a couple of stories."

"Yeah, I guess you could say I lucked out! I'm by myself in my dorm, because my old roommate went off to college. They didn't want to bother filling in my spot, so I have it all to myself! Which is nice, considering I can study in peace. But, it does get lonely."

"I bet. But, don't you and your brother ever hang out?"

"We do. He's the only guy allowed in my dorm, because they know we are twins. He's a nice guy, regardless of how he acts with you and others. He's just.. trying to protect me. We have technically been on our own since we were little, because our dad's a doctor and our mom's a pediatric nurse."

"Wow, that's convenient."

"Yeah, it is. But we are the only children they have, so they know that we can take care of each other. And that's how it's been. He's my best friend. He's always been there for me."

"Sounds like you have a relationship with him like Ed and I have with each other. It's nice, isn't it?"

"It really is! Well, here's my dorm.. Thanks again for walking me. You're such a good friend, already!"

"Heh, well I try." He waited for Kanako to open her door, then handed the books off to her. He turned around quickly and began to walk back towards the main entrance. "Have a good night, Kanako. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You too, thanks again!"

'Edward's probably with Winry, so I can do my homework and write in my journal in peace." He made his way up to the dorm, and unlocked it, noticing that he was the only one there. He walked straight over to his desk, sat his books down gently and sat down, leaning back into the comfortable padding. He pulled his journal out and began to write about his day.

"_School was alright, it still feels weird not having mom teach us what we need to know. I made some new friends today, so at least the first day jitters are out of the way. I also made a potential rival. His name is Shuichi and he's Kanako's twin brother. I really hope he doesn't take our friendship the wrong way. Oh, and there's a girl that's in one of my classes that's so beautiful.. Her name is Yuna and she makes my heart pound."_

The door opened and Alphonse slammed his journal shut and threw it in his desk. Edward walked in, his tie was loose and his hair was frizzed. He had a giant smirk on his face, and Alphonse could already tell what went on.

"So, how was the make-out session, brother?"

"Wonderful. Simply fucking wonderful. You need to get yourself a girlfriend, little brother."

"Stop pestering me about it, I'm aware that I need to find someone. But right now, I want to study and do good."

"Oh come on. Have some fun, will ya?" he threw his jacket onto the floor and watched as Alphonse sighed with disappointment and shook his head.

"Calm down, I have another clean jacket. We need to do laundry tomorrow night anyways. So, did you meet any cute girls?"

"Well, not really." He glanced at his desk and back at Edward. "I didn't really pay attention."

"You're a liar. Your eyes wondered all day, I know you Alphonse."

"S-shut up brother, that's so rude of you to assume that!" He blushed deeply and turned away so his older brother couldn't see his embarrassment."

"Well, there are a lot of cute ones here. But I'm all Winry's. She can't keep her hands off of me."

"Well, play it smart, Edward. A kid is the last thing you need right now."

"Why do you assume that if we were to have sex, that I would get her pregnant?"

"Because I assume the worst. You know that."

"Yeah, well it's not going to happen."

"Alright, just watch yourself. I think I'm going to go to bed early, I'm exhausted."

"Bed? This early? It's only 6:00."

"Yeah, well I'm exhausted."

"Aren't you hungry?"

"No, actually, lunch filled me up."

"Alright, suit yourself. I'm going to go have dinner with Winry then." Ed climbed down from his bed and walked towards the door. "I'll be back later, don't wait up for me."

"Uh, I wasn't planning on it." Alphonse began undressing himself, laying his clothes off to the side so he could wear them again in the morning. He slipped on his pajamas and crawled into his cool, plush bed. He closed his eyes and passed out.

_**Elapsed time: One month.**_

_September 18__th__, 1917_

_It's been exactly one month since Edward and I started school here. It's been a good first month, but also a very tough one. We miss our mother very much, and have not seen her since the day she helped us move in. We plan on seeing her in a couple of weeks._

_Our classes have been challenging to say the least. Anatomy is fun, but very challenging for me. It's a good thing I have Kanako and Winry to help me out, or else I would have already failed out by now. Edward's keeping up in his studies, which is a big surprise to me. I'm proud of him. We have both made our own set of friends, and spend time with them on our free time. Winry and Edward are inseparable, and make the perfect couple. I still have yet to find a girlfriend, but I must admit that I have not been looking as hard as Edward has. I have someone in mind, but she's definitely not interested in me. Or, that's what I assume. It started off as friendship, but she's really grown on me. She's beautiful, and brilliant to boot. She cares about others before she cares about herself, and that's one thing that makes me fall harder for her. Edward is so obsessed with finding me a girl, but really, I'm just more worried about my school work. If I happen to get a girlfriend, then I just want it to happen. Is that wrong? Should I be trying to find the girl for me so early on in my life? If it happens, I really hope it's with her._

_Either way, I'm just glad that I'm happy and I'm doing well away from my mother._

_Until next time,_

_Alphonse._

Al closed his journal and slid it into his desk. He arose from his comfy chair and began to get dressed for his busy day at school. Edward was still asleep, with his head tucked in underneath his blankets. Al shook his head and began to finish his tying his tie. As soon as he was done, he shook Edward awake and made sure he was up before he walked out of the door.

"I'll see you later brother, I'm supposed to meet up with Rin and Kanako to discuss a project in Health."

"Bye Al. See you in class."

Alphonse made his way down the flight of stairs. As soon as he began to walk down the second flight, he could feel the stabbing sensation that he was being watched. He kept his pace steady, and made his way down the stairs. By the time he made it down to the main entrance, he noticed that Shuichi and his buddies were following close behind him. He stepped aside and watched as they walked by him. Their stares pierced into his heart, giving him an upsetting feeling. He took a deep breath, shook it off and walked towards the health room.

"I don't know what that kid's problem is, but he needs to cut it out. And why are there posters all over the walls?" He quickened his pace and saw that Kanako was sitting outside of the health room, her face was buried into one of her books.

"Good morning, sorry I'm late."

"It's alright, Good morning! You feeling okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Your brother and his groupies were following me. I have the feeling that they are out to get me."

"Oh, ignore Shuichi. He's just trying to intimidate you, he does that to a lot of people. I hate to say it, but he's kind of become the school bully. I'm pretty ashamed of him for it."

"Well, that's good to know. Hey, what's with all those posters on the walls?"

"Oh, that's for the fall formal that's coming up. It's a ball that they hold every fall, winter and spring. It's kind of fun, you get to spend time with your friends, or if you have someone you really care about, you spend it with them. It's kind of like a date thing."

"Ah, well it sounds like fun. So, did you do the homework for last night?" He wanted to skip the thought about the fall formal. He knew that he wouldn't be able to find a date, and was too nervous to ask anyone. He was just hoping it would blow over.

"Of course I did. Didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did.. but I don't know if I did it right. I know we were supposed to all discuss what we wanted to do for our project, but I had a couple of questions I got stuck on last night." He handed her a piece of paper with their health assignment on it.

"Well, Rin isn't here yet. Either he forgot he was supposed to meet up with us, or he's just not going to show up for class at all. In the meantime, let me see your answers." She took his paper gently in her hands and began to skim through his answers. "So far, so good. The answer for number 13 is on page 47, middle of the paragraph, and the same for question 14 and 15. Other than that, everything looks pretty good."

"Thanks, I really appreciate you helping me." He took back his slip of paper and shoved it back in his book. So, how are your violin lessons going?"

"Oh, they are getting tougher, but I still enjoy them none the less. What about you? How are your other classes going?"

"Challenging, but enjoyable I guess. Say, about the winter formal-"

"Yo, Kanako. What's going on sis?" Alphonse was cut off by Kanako's twin brother, Shuichi.

"Nothing much, Shu. I'm just discussing Al and I's project."

"Yeah, about that. Mind if I speak to you alone? It's about our visit home this weekend." He shot Alphonse a dirty look, and tried to cover it up with a smile towards his sister. She got up without hesitation, and brushed off her skirt.

"Alright, hurry up though; we really need to discuss our project. Excuse me for a moment, Al."

"Sure.." He opened his health book and pretended to read through their current chapter until both of them were out of sight. He was extremely aggravated, feeling as if Shuichi was cutting him off on purpose. 'I was going to ask if Kanako wanted to go with me to the dance, but I guess it's a lost cause. Might as well forget about it.'

Meanwhile, Shuichi gently pulled his sister aside by her left arm, checking behind him periodically to see if Alphonse was listening. As soon as they were around the corner, he started to lay into her pretty harshly.

"What's your business with him, Kanako."

"He's my friend, why is it that every time I have a friend that happens to be a guy, you flip out about it? Last time I checked, you don't own me!"

"I'm your brother, and I care about you. I don't want to see you hurt, and I can tell that he's bad news."

"That's what you assume, and I have no idea where the hell you get bad vibes from him. He's a sweet guy, he's been homeschooled all of his life. He isn't hitting on me, or trying anything with me. Besides, I'm a big girl, I can take care of someone that's being too pushy, so if I were you, I would mind my own damn business! You may be older by 2 minutes, but I'm certainly more mature than you are!" She shoved her way past Shuichi and made her way back to Alphonse.

"Come on Alphonse, we are going somewhere else." She grabbed her belongings quickly, and began to lead the way. It was obvious that Kanako was upset, so he grabbed his stuff without asking, and followed her. They walked outside and found a place at an empty outdoor table. Kanako sat down first, and threw her book open, Alphonse hesitantly sat down right by her.

"Alright, where were we."

"Hey, is everything okay? I know it's none of my business but-"

"It's just Shuichi being an ass. Don't worry about it." Kanako really wanted to share what was going on, but really didn't want to hurt Alphonse's feelings. She began to list off some ideas for their project, writing them down on a blank sheet of paper as she came up with stuff.

"We have at least 4 ideas between us, so let's see what Rin wants to do, and we can go from there."

"Yeah, if he ever shows up. I wonder if he's sick."

"Probably, he's usually always punctual with school."

"Yeah, I have a headache myself, but it's just because of this project."

"It's okay, it'll be over with before you know it." Kanako looked down at her watch and stood up from the table. "We have 15 minutes before class. I'm going to go freshen up, and stop by the music room. I'll meet you in Anatomy?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Awesome. See you later, Al." She quickly gathered her things and made her way back into the school. Alphonse watched her and focused his eyes back on his book.

'There's more that went on, I really want to know what's bugging her, but I don't want to be rude.. Mom, why didn't you ever teach me anything about girls?!' He sighed and stood up from the table, scooping his books into his arms. Before he could step away from the table, he heard his name being called from behind him. He whipped around to see Kanako's twin, Shuichi, and froze stiff in his path.

"Mind if I have a word with you, Alphonse?"

"Sure, I guess." Alphonse went to sit down, but was interrupted by Shuichi's harsh voice.

"Don't sit, stand. You don't deserve to be so casual around me."

"Uh, okay then. So, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Don't play dumb, this is about Kanako. I know what your little game is, and I'm not going to have it. I told you once, and I'm not going to tell you again after today. Stay the fuck away from her. She's too good for you."

"Hey, I know this is none of my business, but don't you think that Kanako can choose who she's friends with? Besides, I have no intention of hurting your sister, I swear. She's a good friend of mine, and I respect your feelings and hers. I know that blood is thicker than water, and you are trying to protect her, I promise I don't want any trouble."

Shuichi turned red with anger, and clenched his fists tightly. "Don't you dare ever talk to me like that again, home schooled scum!" He threw a punch at Alphonse, and landed it right on Al's left eye, causing him to fall back into the table. "Let that be a fair warning to you. Next time, you'll be leaving this fucking school in a body bag." He turned around quickly, and stormed back into the school.

Alphonse was shocked. His eye was throbbing with pain, and anger was built up inside of him. Who does that kid think he is? And better yet, why the hell does he get to decide who Kanako is friends with? He didn't care, he was still going to be friends with her, no matter what Shuichi said. He reached up and touched his eye gently, and could feel that it was already swollen.

"Jeez. Why did I let this happen?!" He stood up and scooped his books in his arms. The school bell rang, signaling the start of the first class. "I can't let anyone see me like this. Especially Kanako, what would she think? If she knew what happened, she would stir the pot with Shuichi and cause me more pain." He made his way inside of the school, and snuck his way up to his dorm room.


End file.
